Paul Young - I REMEMBER…

Paul Young, 64, is best known for hits like “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” and “Every Time You Go Away.” Here, he looks back on rebelling against his family to become a musician, bungling the national anthem at Wembley in 1996, and falling in love on a video shoot...

- Rosie Hopegood

…MOST FIRST-BORNS GET JEALOUS of all the attention going to a new baby, and my brother Mark was no different. I’d be outside in my pram and my brother would come over and hold my hand. My mum would say, “Oh look at that, it’s so sweet.” But actually, he was crushing my hand until my knuckles banged together and I’d start crying.

…I WAS ALWAYS A DREAMER. I had this tricycle when I was eight, and I was allowed to go all the way up and down my road. It seemed like the big wide world to me, and meant a lot to have the freedom of that street.

…WHEN I GOT OLDER I MOVED ONTO TWO WHEELS. My friends and I would pack sandwiches and go off all day. We’d go ten or 15 miles off into the countryside. The plus side was that I didn’t spend as much time with my brother and sister Jo, so we argued far less.

…MY DAD WORKED NIGHTS AT VAUXHALL MOTORS. We’d see him at breakfast when he’d just got home and then again at tea before his next shift. He was a really hard worker.

…I WAS MISCHIEVOUS AT SCHOOL. My secondary school had been an all-girls school and was introducing boys year by year. I didn’t do so well there—the teachers weren’t prepared for boisterous boys in the class, with all our hormonal changes. I struggled a bit but I did OK with the exams in the end.